The anecdote of the 1990s... could be a reality (Photography of Air Europe published on Wikipedia)

The 80's and 90's were for the heavy Spanish candle bright, splendid and above all loaded with novelty. Those teams of Admiral's Cup at the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona... or those who sponsored Manuel Fernández de Sousa Faro from their Monte Real Club of Yates de Baiona... that fantastic Regata del Discovering with the catamaran La Santa María in which four brave men dared to cross the pool: José María García Lastra, Juan Zarauza, Miguel Lago and Javier de la Gandara... the four of the Club de la Villa de la Pinta.

Or the Regata of the Autonomies, in which the commercial spot of Beer was playing in Monte Real The Eagle... event that was the driving force of the unforgettable Federico Arias. In addition to organizing the show, five selection of Jeaneau (37 feet) had to be acquired, which represented a paste.

Also in the 80's, we had to highlight the projection of the Liquor 43 of Vuelta al Mundo de Joaquín Coello, the first of professional court... and an anecdote on the press wheels did not watch videos... they were projected on a screen sound film of 16 mm!... and as not the Regata Vuelta to Spain initial idea of Alfonso Jordana and Diez Merry... and mine... that he forcibly collected the magazine Bitácora with the essential support of Dorna by its vice president José Ramón Guimerans.

In 1984, he gave us the first TVE chain, no less than 25 reports of 10 minutes... at 21.30 every day!... in that magical second edition the initial stage was Getxo (Marítimo del Abra) -Baiona (Monte Real Club de Yates), which was won by the Califa (One Ton of the Yate Club Argentino de Buenos Aires), with Arturo Arrebilaga as its patron.

In the 90's the stream of new developments continued: new projects of Return to the World such as the Fortuna, the Xargo VI and the Galicia 93 Pescanova... with an essential presence in the three of the Galician sailors, with José Eraso and Toni Román in the maxi of Francisco Sitges, or Javier de la Gandara to the cane of the Fortuna and Pescanova, in which he managed to enter into podium, when the level of the Whitbread was simply amazing.

For its part from the hand of Mount Real in San Diego sailed in the Louis Vuitton (before the America's Cup) Spain 92 Fifth Centenary, the first Spanish challenge to which two more... would follow in the last century reached a meritorious place: fifth ranked, with a victory in the opening race against Australia, which was applauded in the water by more than 50,000 people.

From the above, Monte Real shared table and tablecloth with the most exquisite and prestigious clubs in the Western world, being the creator in the Atlantic in the distance of 1981 of the first race in solitaries and two crew members, and in 1982 of the race of crews... that is, of the race to match.

The boat against boat, they premiered in Baiona Bay at the Galician-Portuguese level. In the first edition in two Puma 32 that gave in the unforgettable Ito Andrade (one of them the Popomña of Miguel Echegoyen, in which he sailed as a child the gold medal Tamara Echegoyen)... in the second the Military Naval School left us its two Cirrus 3 / 4 (the Moura and the Tambo), which in those years were two three-quarters veteran, but formidable.

In the third in 1985, two young people from Porto, Pedro and Antonio Pires from Lima, appeared. The competition was again supported by Ito Andrade... who left Mount Real dos Jeanneau model Fun package with candles to premiere... and the result was a bomb: the Lusian children won the final to the almighty of Pairo Tres... with José Luis Freire at the head... winners among others of the Nautical Week of the Port of Santa Maria, then the top of the Spanish races (including the King's Cup).

There was a stop later in the match, to appear by the hand of another big one like Javier Vissiers four Fortuna 9 (also to get sponsorship and report 10 minutes on TVE 2 on Monday at 9: 00 at night). But this match race event, the Open of Spain, already had high-quality crews: Toño Gorostegui was the winner.

Again the reparation of the match-race of the hand of Tabacalera was fleeting in Monte Real... to arrive already in the final part of the 90 events: one that only had one edition that was the Bombay Gin League... and the other were new and bright Open from Spain... in which participated patterns of great international prestige, case of Cris Law, Eddy Warder Owen, Jochen Schumann, Thierry Peponet... in order to give and take.

In the match races in Baiona, since its beginning in 1983 it is curious... but there were always co-sponsors of the airline sector. The obvious reason, because the travel was essential and that was not expensive... they were very expensive. Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España was the first with its presence in the 80's, followed by the Tap de Portugal, Spanair, the German Lufthansa... and the end Air Europa.

I remember as if it was today that at a meal at the Portosin Nautical Club, I told the one who was your manager and one of my best friends... Francisco José Estévez Salazar (Paco Pepe), who had failed Lufthansa (was the last of the list) simply because he had buried his project in Galicia.

Paco said to me: If you want, I would like to introduce you to the delegate of Air Europa in Galicia who is a great friend of mine... no need to say that I with my usual patience... I told Paco to call her immediately, so did and in a couple of days, we were having dinner in Santiago with her... and the agreement was easily sealed (thank Paco!).

It was for the Bombay Gin League and Air Europa that we were part of one of its splendid 747 of the Barcelona- Santiago flight, and from El Prat, came dozens of regatists, who in turn had flown on other flights of the company between Bilbao, Valencia and Palma... that is the concentration in the City Condal and then all together to Galicia, and from there to Baiona.

The meetings were several with Air Europa... and in one of them I formally requested them on behalf of the Mount Real Club of Yates of Baiona to name a plane of their fleet, and the theme saw it with good eyes and even a verbal approval... the bad thing was that the situation of the companies areas, gave way to complicated moments and logically our illusion was left apart... because the environment was not conducive to it.